Monday, June 10, 2013

Cod with Mustard Cream Sauce and Scandinavian Style Condiments

This week’s
theme is Scandinavian food, which I know nothing about beyond Ikea’s Swedish
meatballs. So I poked around the blogosphere and found this recipe: http://www.outside-oslo.com/2012/01/31/cod-in-mustard-sauce-with-pickled-beets/,
and was intrigued by the strange combinations of foods. I tweaked the recipe (I
already had pickled beets in my pantry, so I sautéed some spinach instead of
beet greens), but left the elements largely intact. I was hoping that maybe the
Norwegians were on to something, but it didn’t turn out to be the case. All of
these items are fine on their own, but they never coalesce, and you’re left
with a strange smorgasbord.

All the recipes
are pretty straightforward, especially if you've made French mother sauces
before (I think this technically is a sauce supreme). There’s a lot going of
elements to finish at the same time though, so make sure you've got everything
timed out. You’ll need to finish the fish before starting the sauce, so allow
enough time to do so.

Cod:

1 filet of cod
or other white fish per person

1 celery stalk

2 parsley sprigs

1 bay leaf

1 shallot,
sliced

½ cup vermouth

Salt and pepper

Fill a large 12”
sautee pan with enough water to cover the fish. Add celery, parsley, bay leaf,
shallout, vermouth, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer (180°F). Add fish to
pan and poach (keep at a light simmer) for 2 to 3 minutes (may need to adjust
cooking times based on thickness – my filets were long and flat so they cooked
quckly). Remove fish from pan, cover with foil to keep warm, and reserve 1 ¾ cup
cooking liquid.

Mustard and Cream Sauce:

2 tablespoons
butter

2 tablespoons
flour

1 ¾ cup reserved
fish poaching liquid

1/3 cup heavy
cream

¼ cup Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper
(if needed)

Melt the butter
in a small saucepan then add flour and whisk to make a roux. Once the flour and
butter are incorporated, slowly add the 1 ¾ cup cooking liquid left over from
poaching the cod, whisking to incorporate. Once it’s all added, add the cream
and Dijon mustard, mix and adjust for taste by adding salt and pepper. Bring to
a simmer.

Potatoes:

1 medium Yukon gold
potato per person, roughly chopped into 1” chunks

Bring a pot of
well salted water (seriously, taste the water and make sure it’s salty) to a
boil and add the potatoes. Lower to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes,
depending on the size of your pieces. The potatoes are ready when they can be
pierced by a fork, but are not falling apart.

Bacon:

1 slice per
person

Preheat oven to
400°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, place bacon on top, and bake for
17 to 20 minutes, until bacon reaches desired crispiness.

Spinach:

1 to 2 garlic
cloves

Spinach leaves
(more than you think)

Olive oil

Dice your
garlic, preheat a pan to medium and add in a tablespoon of olive oil. Add
garlic, and cook for 45 seconds. Add spinach (just throw a whole bunch in – if
you’re not familiar with cooked spinach, add more than you need as it will cook
down significantly) and sautee for about 2 minutes.

Place eggs in a
medium pot and add enough cold water to cover by an inch. I like to add a
splash of white vinegar (in case the shells crack – keeps the egg from leaking
out) and ½ teaspoon of salt (allegedly makes the eggs easier to peel). Bring to
a boil. Let boil for a minute (I turned off the heat on my electric burner, and
the residual heat kept it at a boil), then cover and remove from heat. Let them
sit undisturbed for 12 minutes, then remove eggs to a bowl of ice water to
cool.